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Top Foods you should be Eating Pre/Post Workout! Gym near me Mulgrave

What you should be having Pre & Post workouts! WitFit Gym near me Mulgrave

Often we get asked here at WitFit Health Club Mulgrave about what should I be eating before a workout? What should I be eating post workout? Do I drink enough water? etc. This week we want to help clear up this confusion and make it easier for you! Knowing what, when and how you should be having your pre/post workout meals! Gym near me Mulgrave

What should you be having before you start your workout? Gym near me Mulgrave

Before we start a workout we want to make sure we are fuelling up our body. Our body is a machine; it needs the fuel (energy) to get through a workout. Think about it, if you were going on a road trip, you’d want to make sure your car had a full tank so it could make it through! Our body is the exact same; we need to make sure we don’t start running on empty.

Plan of attack: Gym near me Mulgrave

30 mins-3 hours before: FUEL UP Gym near me Mulgrave

Imagine this as going to that petrol station. We have to fuel our body up.

Carbohydrates: The fuel source for our body, they break down into glucose which we can then use. There are various types of carbs; however we want to be having the easily digestible types that have a longer period of energy.

These include:

Whole grain cereals

Greek Yoghurt

Brown Rice

Beans

Now the above food groups are difficult to consume at 6 a.m in the morning, or on your way from work to the gym. Therefore ideally these are consumed throughout the day so we are fueled up and ready to go!

IF however you haven’t had these through the day, some great foods you can have an hour to 30 mins beforehand are:

Fruits (banana or apple)

Nuts (almonds, peanuts etc.)

Natural Muesli bar.

These are short lasting carbs that can give you that extra pep you’re after and ensure your glucose levels are at the right levels!

HYDRATION!! Gym near me Mulgrave

We need to make sure we are hydrated, having adequate hydration before a workout is important, as we lose fluid during a workout, so ensure during the day you are keeping up your fluids! We recommend aiming for 2L of water per day. Further, during exercise our core temperature rises, to combat this, our body initiates the action of sweating, to help cool our body down. This causes a loss of water/salt; therefore we need to be replenishing this post workout. A sports drink i.e. (Gatorade) can be helpful here as it replaces of course fluid but also electrolytes, important for bodily functions. The drawback from these drinks is they are sugar filled, and excess consumption could have a negative effect on your diet.

What happens if I don’t eat? Gym near me Mulgrave

Dizziness

Lethargy

Light headiness

These symptoms happen due a drop in blood sugar levels, when we exercise we exert energy. In higher intensity workouts our predominate source of fuel is carbohydrates. As you go through your exercises we go through our carbs, and eventually our blood sugar levels drop. Resulting in dizziness, lethargy & light headiness.

Importantly, if you are experiencing these symptoms ongoing, and food/water isn’t helping, we would recommend seeing your local doctor. This could be a sign of something more sinister.

Post Workout: Gym near me Mulgrave

As much as eating before the workout is important, the post workout is just as important. This is the time to re-fuel ourselves, and depending on what type of workout that can mean different fuels.

Weights: During a weighted workout we use our muscles, they get damaged (a good thing!) and need to be repaired. The food source that helps with this is protein! Proteins main role is to repair, grow and maintain our bodies tissues, most importantly muscle.It is suggested to consume 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight per day, which is around 50g of protein per day for women and 60g for men. These are baseline figures, and if you are completing regular weight training this may have to increase.

Importantly however, it is not just about the quantity of protein consumed but also the quality! Protein can be broken up into amino acids, which are then split into essential vs. non-essential amino acids. This means that essential amino acids must be included in our diet, as our body is unable to create these amino acids itself.

These are found in foods such as;

Eggs

Milk/Dairy (i.e. cheese)

Red Meat

Tofu

So if after your workout whether in the morning or at the end of day, try including these in your next meal! Protein will help with getting those muscle gains you are after.

Cardio: In terms of food, eating forms of the aforementioned carbs are great! It is just replenishing what you used and making sure you have enough energy for the rest of the day’s activities. Again it is making sure you are having enough fluid post workout, as cardio causes a lot more fluid loss.

Hopefully this weeks blog has made it clear that nutrition before/after workouts is extremely important. That it can help us make the most out of the hard work we put out! So next time you go to workout, ensure you are fuelled up and ready to smash it. As always, check out our FaceBook page to find out more about diet and other areas of health and fitness! If you have any further questions about it, ask us at WitFit! Gym near me Mulgrave